The New Threat
by The.Jalman
Summary: A new threat is rising, one even the Dragoons will need help defeating. And it comes from a very unexpected source. [[Part VIII is now up!]] Betrayal, but of whom and by whom? Find out in this chapter.
1. Lloyd Returns

Disclaimer: I do not in any way own the rights to LoD. This WILL only be said once. Thank you. Please, enjoy._**  
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**_Part I: _**

**_Lloyd Returns_**

Blackness, it enveloped him, stifled him, it was all around him. The man who had been Lloyd stood in the dark, wondering what had happened. The last thing he remembered was attacking Melbu Frahma, then he'd been slammed by something and it all went black. Suddenly a blinding light flashed in front of him, he threw up his hands to block it out and then realized he could look right into it. He opened his eyes and looked around at where he was. Light blue columns rose towards the sky, and glowing energy flowed around him everywhere. _Mayfil, _he thought, _I'm dead. Excellent. _ Walking off, no particular destination in mind, he took stock of his position. He was dead; he'd lost the Dragon Buster, and The Divine Dragoon Spirit. But he was still one of the most powerful Winglies. He held up a hand in front of him, palm up and concentrated. A ball of orange, glowing, energy formed, and kept growing larger. With a smirk, he snuffed it out and continued walking.

While he was deep in thought, his eyes on the ground, a voice spoke in front of him. A low, familiar voice, _great, _he thought, _Just who I need to meet. _ He raised his eyes, but he already knew who he was going to see.

"Hello, Lloyd." said the man who had been Lavitz Slambert.

"You look well, for a dead man." He replied, smirking slightly.

"You too,"

Lloyd's eyes hardened.

"What do you want Slambert?"

"Oh, it's not me. If I had my way, you'd stay here for eternity. The higher ups want you to go back."

The platinum-haired man's eyes widened.

"They want me to go back?"

"Don't read too much into it. As much as I hate to say it, the remaining Dragons need you. Now that Zieg and Rose are dead, Dart will reclaim the Red Eye Dragoon Spirit, and a new bearer will emerge for the Darkness Dragoon. You must reclaim the Divine Dragoon Spirit. A new threat is going to appear, and I fear that, without you, they cannot hope to defeat It." said the knight, through clenched teeth.

Lloyd threw back his head and laughed.

"What makes you think I won't just go back to my olds ways the second you send me back?"

It was Lavitz's turn to smirk.

"Because if you do, I'll be resurrected with more power than you could ever imagine, for the sole purpose of killing you." He grinned.

"Alright," Lloyd replied, suddenly serious, "I'm ready."

"Not yet you aren't." said the former Wind Dragoon. He held out a hand towards Lloyd, and an object shaped like a Dragon's head appeared in it.

"I think this belongs to you." He stated with a small smile. Lloyd reached out and took hold of the Dragon Buster. It flared into life, and he smiled widely.

"Thanks."

"Don't thank me. Just do what you have to." With that, Lavitz closed his eyes and Lloyd felt himself being hurled upwards.

The wind whipped the sand up around the six people standing at the base of the huge, twisted tree. It had only been four days, since they had defeated Melbu Frahma, at the price of a father, and a friend, the loss was still fresh. The man with the spiky, blond hair looked up at the twisted boughs of the Divine Tree. _Father, we just met, it wasn't fair for you to leave me like that._ A young girl, with short, light brown hair, and shining brown eyes, walked over and took his arm, 

"Dart? Are you okay? You've been standing over here for more than an hour." He turned to look at her and smiled.

"Yeah, I'm fine Shana, what's everyone-" he never finished the sentence as a glowing Red stone seemed to fall from the tree and hovered inches from his chest. Suddenly, it seemed to explode with a red light, he was engulfed in flames. Moments later, he stood there, as the Dragoon of Fire.

"My Dragoon! I got it back!" He shouted to the empty air as he flew high above his friends.

"Get back down here you clown!" Albert shouted up at him good naturedly.

"Come get me!" In a flash the other five Dragoons were flashing up towards him, all talking at once. Shana stood alone on the ground. She had given her Dragoon Spirit to Miranda, she wasn't one of them anymore. She turned her head away to hide her tears, and then she saw it. Lying on the ground like a normal rock, lay Dart's Divine Dragoon Spirit, where it had fallen when he had reclaimed his Red Eye Stone. She just stood there eying it when suddenly a hand reached out and picked it up, and a voice said,

"So they left poor little Shana all alone again, huh? Some friends you got there."

She looked up quickly and her eyes widened. Lunging for her bow she notched an arrow, and pointed it at the platinum-haired man before her.

"Lloyd? I thought you were dead?" she demanded, more than asked.

"A common misconception." He smirked. "I was sent back to help you people."

"What do you mean?" she demanded again, the skepticism clear in her voice. "We beat Melbu Frahma, why would we need your help?"

"Even I don't know, all your friend said was that a new threat is about to emerge, and without me, you can't hope to defeat it."

"What friend?" She asked.

"Lavitz."

"I don't believe you, I'm calling the guys; they'll know what to do."

"Suit yourself." He said with another smirk. She ran a short distance away and started calling their names, at the top of her voice. Lloyd leaned against the gnarled trunk and watched her with a detached sort of interest.

Dart heard Shana's cries first and dropped down to see what it was, the rest of the Dragoons followed, wondering what had gotten her so flustered. She recounted what had just happened and they all stood there listening incredulously. Finally Dart stopped her and asked, 

"Lloyd, is alive?"

"Yes, and he's right here," cut in an all too familiar voice.

"Lloyd!" came six voices in unison.

"In the flesh," he said, then retold what had happened to him in Mayfil. The six Dragoons listened even more incredulous at his incredible story. Suddenly, Dart couldn't take it anymore and sprang at the Wingly, sword in hand. The sound of steel on steel echoed across the barren wasteland as Lloyd parried the blow with his own blade.

"You kill my best friend, and then I kill you! Now you come back with some bullshit story about how he sent you back to help us? You might as well spit on his grave! I killed you once, and I'll damn well do it again! Red Eye Dragoon EMERGE!"

Flames enveloped the red warrior for the second time that day, and he stood as the Dragoon of Fire. Muttering the words under his breath, he cast the spell 'Flameshot'. The ball of fire flew straight for Lloyd who stood his ground, seemingly unafraid. At the last second, a blinding white light enveloped the Wingly, and he stood there, wearing a familiar chromium-gray armor. Unscathed by the spell.

"As you can see," he said, casually. "I'm one of you now."

"You will never be one of us, as long as I have anything to say about it!" Albert suddenly shouted. "You killed my best knight and friend, I will not rest until I have avenged his death!"

The Wind Dragoon leapt into the air and flew at breakneck speed for the Wingly. Lloyd closed his eyes and called the Dragon Buster to his hand, holding it out in front of him he spoke to the King.

"Either stop your flight, or you die the same way as your precious knight." He said softly.

The King stopped in mid-air and hovered above the Wingly, the rage clearly written on his face. Dropping to the ground he reverted back to his human form. Gripping his lance tightly, he spoke again, through clenched teeth. "What do you want?"

"I want to help you against this threat. To make up for my past sins."

"Nothing you can ever do will make it up to us." Said Dart. "But if there truly is a new evil arising, I would rather you be with us, than against us." He turned to the other Dragoons, "I think we should give him a chance. It's what Lavitz would have wanted." The others nodded their consent. Albeit reluctantly. Lloyd bowed his head and reverted back to his normal form. Once his feet touched the ground he bowed to them.

"I will do my best to help you." Dart simply nodded and walked off. The five Dragon Knights followed him, and Lloyd slowly walked behind the group, his head bent in contemplation.

Kayla sat on the riverbank, fingering the blade of one of her daggers. She'd just been kicked out of the village, again. She looked at her reflection in the river. The girl that stared back had dark violet eyes, and raven black hair that flowed past her shoulders. She was only nineteen, yet she had killed countless men, if those filthy bandits could be called men. She felt no animosity towards them, she just couldn't stand what they did, and the only way to stop them was to kill them. She remembered all the times she'd felt so helpless when they had sacked her town, killing her mother and father, then making her watch as they desecrated their bodies. She'd spent the rest of her life since then looking for the power to get back at them. Now she'd have to continue alone. The last batch of bandits she'd killed hadn't been enough. Another group had swept through her village burning and pillaging, wanting revenge for the deaths of their comrades, comrades she had killed. The chief had thrown her out. And now here she sat. Staring into the river, searching her mind for the answers she didn't have. _Enough of this. I'm moving on, I'll find the power, then they'll see._ She shook herself and got up, but as she did, she caught a glimpse of something shining in the shallows. Reaching in, she plucked it out, turning it over in her hands, it was a dark purple stone with a star carved into it. It seemed to pulse with a strange light. She shrugged it off as her imagination, put it in her pocket and walked off. The bandits would pay. 

My first attempt at a LoD Fanfic! Please review. All CC is appreciated! Thanks!


	2. Darkness & Wind

_**The New Threat:**_

**_Part II: Darkness & Wind_**

They stood gathered in the throne room of Indels Castle in Bale. Albert was seated on his throne speaking with Minister Noish, Meru and Kongol stood in one corner talking in hushed voices. Haschel sat on a cushy chair meditating, and Miranda, Shana, and Dart were speaking about the new threat that Lloyd had said was coming. Lloyd leaned casually against the wall at one end of the chamber. He was no stranger to the Castle. He'd served a brief period there a few months ago as the King's advisor. After awhile, Albert got up and addressed his friends and the generals gathered in the room.

"My dear friends and," here he looked at Lloyd, "colleagues. It has been brought to my attention, that a new threat is arising, one that only the Dragoons can hope to defeat. And my esteemed Minister Noish, has just brought it to my attention, that as of a few days ago, there is a new menace razing villages to the south. I believe they may be one and the same. So I want you generals to send three regiments of troops with the Dragoons to get rid of it."

"Whoa, wait a second," Dart cut in, "You aren't coming with us?"

"I'm afraid not, my duties as king will stop me. I have been gone far too long as it is." came the reply.

"We're going to need all the power we can get if the threat is the one Lloyd speaks of." Haschel said suddenly.

"I know my friend, that's why I'm stepping down as a Dragoon. You will have to find someone to take my place." He said solemnly.

He reached into his armor and pulled out the Dragoon Stone. Slowly, he walked up to Dart and put it into his hand, closing his fingers around it. Lloyd watched, amused. He pushed away from the wall and spoke up.

"You're giving up the Dragoon Spirit to run your country huh? Guess what? If we don't find it another bearer, you won't have a country." He said; his voice full of irony.

"I know that," Albert growled, "but my country comes first. I'll run it as long as it exists."

"Fool." Lloyd said as he turned away.

"Where are you going?" Dart demanded.

"Out."

"Stop him!" Albert barked. "You will not leave the castle." The soldiers moved into a ring around the Wingly and drew their weapons. Lloyd raised his hand to the hilt of his sword.

"You try it," said Lloyd, glaring at the soldiers. "You won't land one blow." He punctuated the remark by reaching his arm out, palm facing them and generating a small energy ball. With a wave of his hand Albert dismissed the soldiers and stormed out of the chamber. Lloyd smirked and walked out another door. Dart shook his head and walked out after him.

"Kongol think white-hair man is good now." Kongol said suddenly.

"You know what? I do to." Shana replied.

Kayla had finally found the power. Just a few days ago, she'd been walking in the forest when a group of bandits had surrounded her. She'd fought most of them off with her daggers, but they'd called in reinforcements. Then she'd lost it, something snapped inside of her and her rage took over. The next thing she knew, the stone she'd picked up from the river had started pulsing and glowing, then, in a flash, she'd changed, and was wearing some strange kind of armor. And she had wings! She never knew what made her say it, but she'd screamed the words, "Demon's Gate" and when the spell was over, the bandits were nowhere in sight.

Since then, she'd sacked three bandit camps, and they were becoming increasingly afraid of her. _Good, they'll pay for what they did to my family. _She thought. Now, she was camped out near the next bandit village. She'd start the attack at night.

Night fell, and she readied for the attack. Drawing her daggers and jumped into the air. In a flash of purple, she transformed and winged away towards the village. When she was over the village she stopped and hovered far above its' twinkling lights. She closed her eyes and spoke two words. "Darkness Dragon!" Out of nowhere a huge figure appeared and flew with amazing speed straight towards the village. In a burst of energy it fired a gigantic beam of power at the group of houses. Flames engulfed them, and Kayla watched, the firelight reflecting off her deep violet eyes. A few bandits looked up and saw her, high above the inferno. They grabbed bows and started firing at her. She didn't move, just hovered there and let the arrows bounce harmlessly off her armor. Finally, when it started to get annoying, she hurled one of her daggers at a running bandit and laughed when he fell, the dagger through his throat. She held out a hand and recalled her dagger, and that's when she heard them, just the soft rustle of their wings at first, then, an angry thrumming. And then they were upon her, the seven Dragoons.

Dart saw her first from a distance, that armor, it couldn't be! Rose! She was alive! Then he got closer and saw her features. She was too young, and her face was too innocent. He shook his head and gripped his sword tighter. No, Rose had died that day, with his father.

_ So the dead knight was right, _thought Lloyd, as he hovered behind Dart. There really was a new Darkness Dragoon. _Intriguing._ _Now all they need is the Wind Dragoon_ _and I'll be able to do what I was sent back to do._

Kayla saw them as well and raised her daggers, ready to repel them if they attacked.

"What do you want?" she called out. A man with spiky blond hair moved to speak, but was beaten to the punch by another, strikingly handsome man with shorter, platinum hair.

"We want to know why you've been sacking villages up and down the south side of the mountains" he said.

"Those, so-called villages are camps for bandits. And I've been punishing them for the atrocities they've committed on the innocent people in this valley." She replied calmly.

The man smirked.

"To the people? Or just to you?"

The bastard! She'd kill him! Rip his vile throat out.

"I'll kill you!" she screamed.

"You can sure try," he said, that aggravating smirk still on his lips. With a bloodcurdling shriek, she gathered all her strength and flew straight for him, daggers ready to tear into his flesh.

Dart moved to intercept her, but Lloyd held him back with one hand.

"I'll take care of her. You concentrate on the people and finding out if her story checks out."

"Just, try not to kill her." Dart retorted.

"Yeah, yeah. Now get moving." With a nod, Dart signaled the others and they all dropped down towards the burning village. He took a deep breath and focused on the girl hurtling towards him. Then he blinked and flashed upwards out of her line of sight. Kayla stopped suddenly; she looked all around, no sign of him. Just like those bloody bandits, coward.

"Looking for me?" he called from high above her. _Arrogant bastard, _she thought as she unleashed the 'Astral Drain' spell at him. Lloyd effortlessly dodged the flying blade and kept hovering.

"You should really work on your aim you know that?" he taunted.

"Shut up! You'll see my aim when my dagger rams through your throat!" she screamed at him.

"Mmm-hmm, that's what they all say. Why don't you join my group instead?" She stopped short.

"Join you? What are you people?" He smirked.

"We are the legendary Dragoons. Come back to save the Earth from another great threat."

"What's the threat?"

"I don't know yet."

She laughed.

"And you expect me to join you?"

"Either that; or you could fight me and die right here." He replied, with a swish of his blade. There was something about his calm demeanor, his detached cool, that made her think he could do it. She lowered her weapons and dropped down to the ground. He followed suit.

"Alright," she said after a long pause, "I'm in." He smiled; he truly was a handsome man.

"I thought you'd say that." He said as he reverted back to normal.

On the ground the other five Dragon Knights walked across the ravaged town. Meru used her ice magic to stifle the fires. And Kongol held up the buildings long enough for the inhabitants to escape. They were just finishing, when Miranda pitched forwards and landed face first in the dirt. They all feared the worst, until she sprang up, anger in every line of her face. She swung up her bow and let loose a barrage of arrows at a fallen in wall. The others thought she had gone mad, until a body slumped over the wall.

"The worthless idiot shot at me!" she fumed. Suddenly they were surrounded by scruffy, unwashed, men; all wielded long bladed knives and dressed in dark, leather armor. Their leader stepped forward, he wielded a large, two handed sword, and wore jet black armor trimmed with gold. The Dragoons drew their weapons.

"What do you people want?" he asked. Dart stepped forward and spoke to him. Things seemed to be going well, but suddenly, the chief jumped back and drew his sword. Dart blasted him through a wall, and he lay still. Turning, the Fire Dragoon looked around the circle of bandits.

"Surrender, or you will surely all die." He commanded. The bandits took one look at the Dragon Knights and fled, only to be cut down by a potent spell. "Death Dimension!" The familiar words echoed through the smashed village and Lloyd walked casually up to the group, Kayla following behind him.

"Hey! Look what I found." He called cheerily. "Her name's Kayla Dorn; and she's our new Darkness Dragoon." Kayla powered down and bowed before the legendary Dragon Knights.

Albert stood on the balcony and stared out over Bale. What he wouldn't give to have been out there, winging across the sky with his friends. But his time was up. He had to concentrate on being the king of his country now. It hurt, but he knew he had made the right choice. Besides, in a couple of days, he'd be happily married to the woman of his dreams. Life could not have been more perfect.

Miles away, a young man dressed all in green walked slowly along the dirt road. His armor was caked with mud and his scythe hung on his back. He kept his head down as he walked dejectedly through the wood. Furion Meltz thought back on the wife he'd just lost to the creatures that roamed the woods where he lived. He'd tracked them and killed them all, but it didn't give him any satisfaction. He was still hollow inside. As he stumbled along, he heard a slight noise. It was barely audible, but it didn't fit in with the woodland sounds. Un-strapping his scythe, he readied himself and continued walking. After about a hundred and fifty feet, a group of bandits jumped from behind the trees and surrounded him. "Give us all your money!" demanded their leader, a squat, ratty faced creature.

"Come get it." He said simply. The bandits charged him knives ready to shred his soft flesh. He swung his scythe once, knocking the heads of three with that one swipe. With another swing he gutted two more, before a knife slashed his thigh. He gasped at the pain, then he saw them closing in about him, their menacing faces masks of hate. One hit him on the temple with the haft of his knife, and stars exploded in front of him, then, blackness crept in around the edges of his vision. Before it all went dark, he saw what looked like and Angel dropping out of the sky. Then a door slammed shut in his skull and he pitched forwards onto the ground.

Hope You liked it! Please review!


	3. Romance

_**The New Threat:**_

**_Part III: Romance_**

He opened his eyes and the pain shot through his head. Furion looked up and thought he was looking at a flat, white, surface. Then he realized, he really WAS looking at a flat, white, surface. It was a ceiling. He pushed himself up and looked around, he was in a small room, a dressing table stood in one corner, and the sun was shining through the window. His scythe leaned against the wall at the foot of his bed. Then he remembered the slash he'd gotten across the thigh and looked down to check it. There was nothing there; it was as if nothing had ever touched the flesh. No one was anywhere in sight, but there was a tray of food on the dressing table. Taking down the tray he began to eat, the food was good, better than any he had ever tasted, except his wife's. When he was halfway through the meal, a young man walked in, his eyes were a fiery reddish color, and he had short platinum hair. He was dressed all in black, and a long-sword hung on his back. The next man who walked in was about a head shorter, with long, spiky, blond hair; he carried an intricately made sword at his side, and wore battle-scarred red armor. After a long while, the blond haired man broke the silence.

"What's your name stranger?" he asked.

"I could ask you the same question." Furion snapped, if these people were bandits he'd make their lives miserable before he told them anything. A wry smile crossed the red warriors face, and his companion smirked.

"I am Dart Feld, the Dragoon of the Red Eyed Dragon." He motioned to the platinum haired man, "and this is Lloyd, the Dragoon of the Divine Dragon."

"Dragoons, as in the legendary heroes who defeated the Winglies?"

"We are the new generation, chosen to fight a new threat."

"Which would be?"

"It hasn't emerged yet." Dart shrugged.

"Then why am I here?" Lloyd gave a short laugh, and Dart nodded. Reaching into his vest, the Wingly brought out the Jade Dragoon Stone, which Dart had handed him the day before. He tossed it to Furion, who caught it in mid-air.

"The Dragoon Stone of the Jade Dragon." Lloyd said.

It pulsed in the man's hand and seemed to glow with a faint green light. Dart took out his Stone and Lloyd did the same. All three seemed to explode with light, emitting shining auras of their respective colors. Dart looked over at the man in green.

"King Albert, the former Wind Dragoon, has stepped down. The Dragoon Spirit has chosen you to be its' next bearer."

Far, far away, a blond haired man in the armor of a Serdian Knight stood gazing into a pool. Lavitz gazed at his friends, only he wasn't Lavitz. With a dark laugh, Zackwell, the lord of Mayfil cast off the guise he had used to trick the Wingly. With a wave of his hand he called up eight pods. Looking into each, he could see the souls of the eight dragons, Wind, Earth, Light, Darkness, Water, Fire, Thunder, and Void. Breaking open each pod, he caused the souls to meld together, to become one, all powerful, being. A huge mist sprang up blanketing the whole place in silence, and after a few moments a great hissing could be heard. Then the mist cleared, and there stood an apparition beyond Melbu Frahma's wildest imaginings. Two hundred feet high, and one hundred and fifty feet long, stood a horrendous creature. Seven wings sprang out of its' back, and seven eyes were set into its' ugly head. It seemed to be a dark gray, but when it moved its' colors changed, bewildering the eye. Two long, jagged tusks hung out of a mouth filled with row upon row, of razor sharp teeth. It let out an eardrum-shattering roar and launched itself into the air. Zackwell smiled. "I'll call you, the Elemental Dragon. You know what to do, don't you?" he asked the creature. It nodded its' huge head. And Zackwell laughed.

"Make daddy proud."

Kayla flopped down onto the bed. The past three weeks had been so tiring. She'd traveled up and down the south side of the mountains with her newfound friends, flushing out the bandits. Dart said no unnecessary killing, but the bandits always seemed to make it necessary. She smirked, all the better for her. These new people were great. But the one she had felt the closest to was Lloyd, he'd never said more than a dozen words to her since that first night, and he didn't treat her any different from the others, always with his cold demeanor, but she felt something about him. Something akin to what was inside her. She still remembered his touch, the time she'd been merrily skipping along through the wood with Meru, and her foot had snagged on a rock. She'd almost broken her nose when he'd grabbed her hand and steadied her. His touch, so gentle, yet so firm.

"Careful," he'd said with a smile, "wouldn't want to spoil that pretty face." She'd blushed at that; then shoved him away so that he couldn't see her embarrassment.

"Idiot." He grinned, patted her on the head and walked off. A warm smile crept over her face at the memory. Then she shook it from her mind._ As enjoyable a trip down memory lane as that was; I better go do something useful._

"Oh I know!" she exclaimed out loud. "I'll go talk to Lloyd." With a renewed spring in her step she skipped off to find the Platinum Shadow.

Woken by her friend's exclamation Meru sat up.

"What was that all about?" She wondered, before dropping back onto her bed and falling asleep.

Lloyd stood on the castle balcony, gazing out over Bale. _Two new dragoons, inexperienced Dragoons, _he thought, _are they going to be enough to defeat this, "new threat" the knight told me about?_ He looked to the west, towards the mountains, the same way Dart and Shana had looked, almost a year ago. He'd been the threat then. Shaking those thoughts from his head, he turned his mind towards the new battles that were undoubtedly moving closer. But suddenly he found himself thinking of Kayla. The subtle grace of her movements on the group's march through the forest, the sweet tinkle of her laugh, the midnight river of her hair flowing down her back, she was beautiful. _Lloyd old boy, you're going soft on me. _With a small smile he drew his sword, flashing it through the air in a few lightning movements. _Maybe not. _It was then he heard the soft rustle of movement behind him, whirling around, he dropped his sword to its' fighting position by his side. Kayla jumped back.

"Easy there, big boy," a smile flashed across her lips, "you might put someone's eye out with that." He snorted.

"Only a fool, could do that."

"There's a little bit of the fool in all of us." Came her reply.

"Yes, but I have the least of it."

"Are you always so cold, Lloyd?" The question caught him off guard. She placed a hand on his chest, to feel his heart. "You can't really be cold. Your heart's still beating."

"Compassion is for the weak. It's a fire that cannot be quenched. You play with fire, you get burned." She lowered her eyes.

"But it's better to get burned than to never see the fire's beauty, isn't it?" she spoke quietly. He hesitated, what did she want?

"I don't know," he said at last. She sighed.

"Neither do I."

"Kayla…" he said softly. She cocked her head.

"Yes, Lloyd?"

"I…um…was wondering…" she looked at him, her eyes sparkling. She truly was beautiful. "Would you…like to…"

"Yes?"

"That is…what I mean is…would you like to, train with me? Sometime?" She let out the breath she'd been holding.

"I'd like that." She smiled.

_Coward._ He cursed himself. _You can go up against the Divine Dragon, but you can't talk to this girl without stuttering._ Suddenly she placed both her hands on his chest,

"I'd like that a lot."

Shana paced in her room, she couldn't live like this. When would Dart come back. Would he come back? She'd never admitted it, not even to herself, but she loved him. Ever since that night he'd rescued her from Hellena. All she'd wanted was to be with him. Share his every moment. _That's it, _she told herself, _I'm going to look for them. _She strode up to the wall where she'd hung her bow. Strapping her quiver on her back, she pulled down her longbow. Ready to go, she span on her heel and walked right into a red wall. She looked up, hoping this wasn't an illusion. Dart looked down at her and smiled.

"Planning on going somewhere?"

"Dart…" she sighed as she clung to him. "I was so worried about you." Hesitantly, he reached up a hand and stroked her hair.

"Me too Shana." Taking her by her shoulders he sat her down on the bed and stared into her eyes. "You know, I've been thinking…well…we've kinda…um…" _Just say it! _He screamed in his mind. _Just tell her how you feel! _She put a finger to his lips, silencing him, before he could say another word. He furrowed his brow, wondering if he'd said something wrong. Then she said something that soothed all his fears.

"I love you too Dart."

Furion stared down at the Jade Stone in his hand. _So I'm a Dragoon huh? Well it's better than being a lonely, wandering widower. _He didn't know what it was about these people, but he felt like he knew them already. Closing his fingers around the stone, he felt the warm energy course through his body. He looked off into the distance, thinking of his dead wife. What would she think if she could see him now? A sad smile appeared on his face. A Dragon Knight, well at least now he couldn't complain about life being boring. His stomach growled, breaking his reverie, with a soft chuckle, he got up and decided to go look for a snack in the castle's kitchens. Just as he reached the top of the stairs however, the earth seemed to buck and try to throw him and then a huge explosion rocked the building. Furion struggled to his feet, coughing and sputtering as dust filled his nose and throat. Rubbing his knuckles into his eyes, he managed to get most of the dust out as his new friends came running from all over the castle. Lloyd was the first to speak.

"What the hell was that?" His clothes were covered in dust and grime.

"No idea," replied Dart, "Shana and I were talking when the room seemed to implode on us."

"Kongol head hurt. Big rock hit it." The Giganto said, as a he nursed a long cut on his forehead. Kayla screamed. She ran to Lloyd and buried her face in his shoulder. Stunned at the gesture he wrapped his left arm around her and drew his sword.

"Guys," he said looking to the east, "the dragons are all dead, right?"

"Course they are," Miranda snapped, "why'd you ask such a stupid question?" Lloyd shot her a withering stare and pointed off towards the east with his sword. The Elemental Dragon was winging its' way towards the castle, powering up another beam to shatter what was left of it.

"Cause I think you missed one!"

"Shit," Dart muttered, turning to Shana, he kissed her lightly on the lips. "Get away from the castle, use the tunnels anything. Take anyone you can find, just get out."

"I can fight." She stated. He gripped her by her shoulders, looked into her eyes and shook his head.

"I can't lose you. Go!" With a nod she sped off. "Let's kick this thing's ass." With a smirk Lloyd nodded and then he turned to Kayla.

"Can you fight?" She nodded slowly, trying in vain to stop from trembling. He smiled, squeezed her hand and jumped off the balcony.

"Divine Dragoon! Emerge!" An aura of energy appeared around him, and he transformed, the Dragon Buster appeared in his hand, and he flashed off towards the Elemental Dragon.

"The idiot's going to kill himself!" Furion shouted.

"Not on my watch! Dragoons, behind me!" Dart called as he transformed, as one the Dragon Knights changed and flew off to aid their comrade.

Lloyd reached the monster long before the others transformed. He had to kill it. If Kayla fought she'd get hurt. _Why do you care? _He asked himself, _you're the cold, remote one, remember? _Then another voice broke through, _well, I got sick of it. And…she's special. _He smiled to himself, amused that he could care for a human. Then the Dragon was upon him. It fired off a volley of blasts from its gaping mouth and swung at him with its' spiked tail. Dodging the blasts, he was caught off guard by the swinging tail and was sent hurtling into a tree. Dazed, he jumped back into the air, the others were nearly there, he had to finish this now. He wouldn't let her get hurt, he silently vowed. In one swift motion he flew straight for the monster and sliced off two of its' wings. Bellowing in pain it tried to knock him senseless with its claws, but he effortlessly dodged its most persistent attack. Then, with all the fury of a lightning bolt, the Wingly dropped out of the sky and rammed the Dragon Buster up to its' hilt into the monster's main eye. It screamed in pain, then a light started to glow behind its' eyes. _Yes! Now die you filthy beast! _To his horror, the Dragon didn't die, instead, he saw it re-grow the wings he had cut off, and before he could recover it blasted him into the cliff face with a powerful energy beam. As he fell his head smashed against a rock, and just before he passed out he thought, _impossible. It'd have to be stronger than the Divine Dragon to…impossible…_then he fell back into the blackness.

Kayla saw Lloyd's unconscious form hurtle down and slam against the bottom of the cliffs.

"Noooo!" The strangled cry escaped her lips. She saw the Divine Dragoon armor disappear; leaving only his broken body. Before anyone could stop her she dropped to the ground next to him, reverting to her normal form she cradled his head in her lap and whispered in his ear. "Lloyd, don't die. Don't leave me all alone. Lloyd, please don't die." The others hovered, forgetting the apparition that now flew away from Bale. Kayla didn't even see them; the tears were coursing down her cheeks as she held on to the Wingly. "You can't leave me, you can't…"

R-E-V-I-E-W, R-E-V-I-E-W, R-E-V-I-E-W,R-E-V-I-E-W Yay! Thanks!


	4. Death

_**The New Threat:**_

_**Part IV: Zackwell's Move**_

Meru skipped into the room, taking in Lloyd's unconscious form lying on the bed, and Kayla sitting next to him, his hand clasped tightly in hers.

"Hi Kayla!" She said loudly.

"Shhh, he's sleeping." hissed Kayla. "Miranda healed his wounds, but he still needs lot's of rest. She couldn't heal the fracture on his skull. Healing all the other broken bones and the cuts took up too much energy."

"Oh, sorry. I was just wondering if want to get anything to eat. I can stay here with him."

"No," came the reply, "I don't want to move, in case he wakes up."

"Okay!" Meru replied cheerfully, then, she skipped off to find Kongol. Kayla sat unmoving next to the Wingly. _Please Lloyd, please wake up. _She placed a hand on his cheek, it felt cold. Then the tears came again, and she laid her head on his chest and cried. Lloyd didn't move a muscle, his mind was far away. Finally, red eyed and sniffling, she raised her head. _Please…_she got off the chair and laid down next to him. In a moment she was asleep, breathing easily, the pain of the last day forgotten.

On the other side of the castle, another couple sat on a stone bench, the man had his arm around the girl, and she rested her head on his shoulder, completely at ease. Dart looked down at Shana, and smiled. She turned to look up at him and raised an eyebrow.

"What's funny?"

"Nothing," he said; a huge smile on his face, "just remembering how I used to think of you as my 'baby sister'." She smiled and rested her head on his chest.

"Mmm-hmm. Who'd have thought we'd end up like this?" He didn't reply, just leaned down and kissed her. She leaned into the kiss, her hands coming up behind his neck and holding him close. Suddenly, someone cleared their throat behind them. They jolted apart, spinning around to look at the attendant standing there looking nervously at them.

"I'm…er…I mean…I'm sorry for…um…interrupting." Dart smiled graciously.

"Not a problem," he said, with a sideways glance at Shana, "how can I help you?"

"The King requests an audience with the Dragoons immediately, sir."

"Alright, tell him we'll right be there." The attendant nodded and scurried away. Shana sighed, and rested her head on his shoulder again.

"Duty calls?" She asked, even though she already knew the answer.

He nodded slowly, then, kissed her again.

"See you later." He said.

"Love you." He winked and strode off towards the throne room.

Behind him Shana sighed. Then she got up, smoothed down her dress and walked back to her room.

Albert paced nervously back and forth across the throne room, what was left of it. Minister Noish stood behind him, deep in thought. _What was that? _Albert thought to himself. _I thought all the Dragons were dead._ His train of though was cut short, when one of his attendants announced the arrival of the Dragoons. The King span on his heel and rushed to his friends, scanning their faces for any sign they were wounded. Finding none, he dispensed with the formalities and asked for a full report on the battle. Dart recounted what he had seen. But when he finished Albert looked less than satisfied.

"Are you holding something back from me?" he asked at length.

Dart shook his head.

"That's all I know, Lloyd charged in ahead of us and scared the monster off."

"Where's Lloyd?" Albert demanded.

Dart hung his head and didn't reply. Then Kayla pushed between Kongol and Meru and stood face to face with the King, anger etched in every line of her body. She was a full head shorter, but she seemed to dwarf the Ruler.

"He's wounded," she said barely controlling her anger, "he was hurt while fighting that beast, trying to protect your stupid kingdom!"

"Please, calm down miss."

"No! I will NOT calm down! That man is the bravest, most wonderful…" she cut herself short here and clenched her jaw. Her fists were clenching and un-clenching at her sides. Before anyone could stop her, she slammed one against Albert's armour, and stood there glaring at him. Then, with a sniff, she stalked off. Haschel broke into a wide smile and Meru poked Kongol in the ribs to keep him from grinning.

"It looks like someone has a crush on someone." Said the Thunder Dragoon.

"No," Miranda said softly, "She loves him." Dart shot her a confused glance then turned and rushed out after Kayla. Albert watched him go, then, climbed the stairs and slumped onto his throne, _whatever it is she feels, I just hope it won't stop her from doing what she has to. _He mused.

Zackwell sat, brooding in his own throne room. So the Dragon had managed to eliminate at least one Dragoon, good. But the Dragon itself would not be enough; these people were too stubborn, to strong-willed to be taken down by it alone. Fine, he'd launch another attack, one that would be fatal for at least one Dragoon. With a dark chuckle, he strode out of the chamber towards the Beastiary. Once inside he looked around, searching for just the right creatures to set on the unsuspecting humans. He walked up and put his face close to a cage that was kept dark. Suddenly, a lance flew through the bars and straight into his chest. He looked down at it and smiled. _I think I've found just the right creature. _With a wave of his hand he destroyed the lance, and with another he opened the cage. Out lunged about a dozen creatures, half horse; half man. Rotting flesh hung off their bodies and each wore dark armour with skulls engraved in it. Some carried long, curved swords, some battle-axes, and two held long lances. He gave them their instructions and they charged off, to wreak their havoc. The Lord of Mayfil smiled. It had been a long time since he'd received a Dragoon.

Lloyd was dreaming, he was fighting something, something he couldn't see, and he was losing. He cried out but no one heard him. Then she was there, Kayla, she reached out to him, but before he could take her hand something whisked her away, with a high, shrieking, laugh. She screamed, and he jolted awake. His eyes looked frantically around for his sword, then he saw her. Curled up next to him on the bed, her tear-stained face turned to the wall. Confusion filled him, what did she think she was doing? He'd never showed any special feelings for her. They were there, but he wouldn't show them, not after what happened to Wink. He'd vowed never to let anyone in after that. For their own good, he'd pushed them away. Sliding his feet out from under the blanket, he stood up, and the pain came, in wave upon wave, he clenched his teeth to stop from crying out, then slowly eased himself back onto the bed. That rock must have done more damage then he'd thought. Slowly he lay back down, bringing his hands up behind his head. Turning his head he saw her move in her sleep. Before he could stop himself, he'd taken her hand. She sighed, then slowly, her eyes, fluttered open and she saw him. With a surprised cry, filled with a strange mixture of joy, and sorrow, she flung her arms around him and buried her head in his chest, the tears coming again.

"I knew…you'd come back…" she managed between sobs, "knew you wouldn't…leave me…" He didn't know what to say to that. So he didn't say anything, just lay there with his arm around this girl. Something had changed in him, he could feel it now. No longer was he the cold, remote, Wingly most people knew. He suddenly realised, he loved this girl. He started to say something, then stopped, looking down at her he saw she'd fallen asleep again. A small smile on her lips. He brushed a stray wisp of hair from her face, and kissed her brow. He'd tell her later. With a smile, he closed his eyes and went back to sleep.

Daric Hase walked slowly back towards his home, a large basket full of firewood strapped onto his back. The square was unusually crowded for this time of day. People pushed and nudged trying to get a good view of something in the distance. Daric paused, then, shouldered his way to the front to see what was so interesting. Looking out over the plains, he saw a small group of horsemen, galloping towards Bale. _Strange,_ he thought, _they don't look like any soldiers I've ever seen. _That's when the horsemen turned towards his village, things started flashing in front of them. And then, all hell broke loose. Fire rained from the sky onto the terrified people, and Zackwell's horsemen burst into the village, cutting down anyone who stood in their way. Soon, nothing was left but charred corpses and the remains of a few stone houses. With hideous grins plastered on their faces, the creatures rode off to their next target, Bale.

Miranda stood at the top of the guard tower, her eyes sweeping the plains around Bale. It all seemed so peaceful. Then, all of a sudden, she saw a cloud of dust spring up away to the east. _Probably nothing she thought. _Then the dust cleared, and she saw a group of riders heading straight towards Bale at tremendous speed. The sunlight shone off their armour, and their weapons glistened blood red. _Enemies! _The thought flashed across her mind, and in the same instant she was moving. With a leap she reached the stairs, but she never got any further. A blast from one of the creatures flung her off the tower, smashing her body on the ground far, far below. _Oh, damn, _were he last thoughts before the blackness reached out its' clinging fingers and pulled her to itself.

For the second time Lloyd jolted awake. What was that sound? Something had slammed into the ground outside. Jumping out of bed, he ignored the pain that jumped into his head. He pulled on his shirt and strapped his sword to his back. Only then did he look out the window. One floor below him, lay the broken body of Miranda. Calling on his wings he jumped off the balcony and landed softly next to her.

"Miranda!" he called, "Get up!" She lay there, unmoving. By now the others had rushed out and were gathered near her body. All except Kayla. _Good, _he thought, _she doesn't need to see this._

"What happened?" Dart demanded.

"No idea," he replied, "I was asleep, I heard a noise and woke up, looked out the window and she was lying here."

"Is she alive?" asked Shana.

"I don't know." Miranda's eyes opened slowly.

"Riders…attacking…blew me off tower…defend people." She managed to croak, before her eyes closed for the last time. Before any of them could make a move, a brilliant, white, light enveloped her body. It gradually faded, and when it was gone, the Dragoon Stone of the White-Silver Dragon, hovered there. Moving slowly, it wove it's way through the group of horror-struck Dragoons, and landed squarely in Shana's hand.

"Shana, it…it chose you again?" Dart managed. Shana swallowed and nodded, the tears coming to her eyes. She'd wanted to be with them, but not like this, not over her friend's body. Before she could say another word, another blast smashed into the ground, right in the middle of the startled group. The Dragoons were blown apart, and battered by the concussion. Lloyd felt like his head was going to explode. Then a white light burst before his eyes and he remembered no more. When the dust cleared, the unconscious warriors were surrounded by the hideous horsemen. Zackwell's minions closed in, each with a weapon upraised, ready to strike the death blow to a helpless Dragoon.

All of a sudden, a dark purple blur swept out of the sky, leaving two headless horsemen in it's wake. Kayla span in mid-air, her daggers at the ready. These monsters would pay for what they had just done.

"Death Dimension!" she screamed. But to her horror the monsters were Darkness Elemental and her spell had no effect. Then, one of the horsemen flung its' sword at her, the wicked blade whistled through the air and slammed her straight in the chest, puncturing her Dragoon armour. She gasped as the blood started seeping out around the blade, and slowly fell to the ground. The Dragoon armour disappeared, leaving her frail form on the ground, the jagged blade buried two inches in her chest. The horseman who had thrown the blade walked slowly to where she lay and ripped the blade from her chest. She screamed.

Lloyd pulled himself out of the stygian darkness that clung to the corners of his mind. Opening his eyes he saw Kayla under one of the monsters that had attacked them. It was raising its' sword to finish her off. He saw the wound in her chest, and a cold fury erupted inside of him. Looking around he saw the other Dragoons scattered across the ground, all unconscious. _Shit, it's up to me I guess. _Painfully he got up, just as the creature was about to drop the sword on Kayla's unsuspecting form.

"Hey asshole!" he shouted. The creatures turned and their bloodshot eyes took in the lone man standing before them.

"Pick on someone your own size!" He cried, as he launched himself into the air, calling on the Spirit of the Divine Dragon to aid him. The armour appeared around him, and he felt a burning in his head, then, as abruptly as it had started, it stopped. He stood there in the Divine Dragoon Armour, and he knew his wounds had been healed. _Didn't know it could do that. _He mused as he went into action. Leaping high above the loathsome creatures, he called the Dragon Buster to his hand. Then, in a flash he was in the midst of the monsters. The first one to fall was the one about to finish Kayla. He muttered the words of a spell under his breath and a glowing ball of energy formed around him. Furiously he fired at the monsters shattering two. Then he rolled out of the ball, filled it with his power and sent it hurtling towards the horsemen. A deafening explosion rocked the area. And the few horsemen left disintegrated, in the fury of his attack. Quickly, he dropped to the ground next to Kayla, just as the other Dragoons were recovering from the monsters' attack. Reverting back to normal, he cradled her head in his arms, just as she had done to him only three days ago. Bending down next to her ear he whispered.

"Kayla, can you hear me?" her eyes seemed to take forever to open. They stared at him in confusion, then recognition flared in their violet depths. She raised her hand to his cheek in a tender caress.

"Yes, Lloyd. I hear you." Her voice was weak, and her face was pale, she was fading quickly, _too damn quickly, _he thought.

"You're going to be fine. I'll take care of you until you get better." She smirked slightly.

"You're a bad liar, you know that?"

"Only to you." Her eyes widened a little at his words.

"So…you…do love…"

"Yes, Kayla, I love you." She sighed softly and reached her other hand up. Taking him by the temples she slowly pulled him down and kissed him.

"Take care of yourself, big boy." Her voice went so soft he could barely hear her.

"No, you can't, not when I just found you. Kayla, no." His eyes pleaded with her to hold on, to keep fighting. She smiled,

"You're…not going soft on me. Are you?" he smiled back, a sad, sad, smile.

"Never." Her fingers intertwined with his, as the other Dragoons gathered around them.

"Good…'cause…I…" she coughed once, then her fingers lost their grip, and her eyes gazed unseeing at the sky. Lloyd passed his hand over her eyes, closing them. As he got up, the Dragoon Spirit left Kayla's body, sending it to Mayfil. The stone rose above the ground, and Lloyd grabbed it before it flew off. Then, got up, retrieved his sword from where it had fallen when he was hurled into a wall and strapped it on his back. He started walking away, out of Bale. Dart and Shana ran up to him.

"Where're you going?" Dart panted. Lloyd's eyes were cold, his voice had a hard edge to it.

"Mayfil."

"We're coming with you," Shana said. He turned and shot her a hard glare.

"I'm going alone."

Review? Yay!


	5. Resurrection

**Disclaimer: **I do NOT, I repeat NOT own the rights to any parts of LoD. Only the OCs in this story are mine. I hate this dsclaimer. :P

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>_**  
**_

_**The New Threat:**_

**_Part V: Resurrection_**

"We're going with you!" shouted five voices in unison.

"No way." Came the reply. "I got her into this mess; I'll get her out of it." Dart walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You're not alone anymore, we want to help you. We're you're friends." Lloyd glared at the five Dragoons. They stood resolutely about him in a half circle, refusing to let him move.

"Move, or I'll make you." An icy flame leapt up behind his eyes. To illustrate the remark he gathered the energy in the air into a glowing energy orb in his palm. "No matter what you people say, I'm going alone."

"Let him go," cut in Haschel's voice, "if he wants to kill himself over some girl let him." Lloyd had had enough, snuffing out the energy orb; he grabbed the older man by the scruff of his robes and slammed him up against the wall.

"This is not just 'some girl', old man." He growled. "Now, I'm leaving. Don't follow me." In the blink of an eye, he was gone.

"Stupid man, kill himself." Said Kongol.

"Yeah, tell me about it." Mumbled Meru.

It was so dark; she'd never been in darkness like this before. Then, slowly, the darkness dissipated, and she was standing in what looked to be a ruined city. Light blue columns, reached their spiral fingers towards the sky, and dark blue energy flowed in all directions. _What is this place? _Kayla thought to herself.

"Welcome, to the Death City, Mayfil." Said a voice from behind her.

"Miranda?" she asked as she turned. The blond haired girl nodded. "What're you doing here?" she asked.

"I'm dead, Kayla. As are you."

"No. Oh gods, please no." the young girl dropped to her knees as Miranda wrapped her arms around her in a hug.

"Don't worry," she said in a surprisingly tender voice. "Lloyd is coming to get you out of here."

"Can…can he do that?" the Sacred Sister nodded again. "Then, you're coming with me. Right? He'll bring you back too?" a sad smile appeared on Miranda's face, and she shook her head. "Why? Lloyd will bring both of us back! He will! I know it!"

"He cannot," that sad smile again, "he loves you. Only the love one person bears towards another can bring back the dead."

"Oh, well someone will come to bring you back, right?" Miranda shook her head again.

"Get ready," she said suddenly, "here comes Zackwell."

"Who?"

"The Lord of Mayfil."

And come he did. With a flourish, he dropped between the two girls, a wide grin plastered on his hideous face.

"Well, well, well. What have we here?" he cackled. "Two little Dragoons. I'm afraid one of you won't be staying long enough to experience my wonderful hospitality. But you know, 'less men, more shares,' and all that jazz." Miranda spat at him. And he laughed harder,

"Really you should try to be decent to your host for the rest of eternity."

"Whatever." Miranda said over her shoulder as she led Kayla away.

The Elemental Dragon sat, perched on the mountaintop. Those humans had proved quite a match for his power, but it wouldn't happen again. He'd raze their pathetic cities to the ground one by one, then he'd come to finish off those Dragoons. Those annoying insects would pay. Satisfied that his revenge would soon be complete, it winged off towards Tiberoa, Fletz would be an excellent first target.

Not far away, the five Dragoons left in the castle were gathered in Dart's room. Albert was far away, in Tiberoa, where the wedding ceremony between him and Emille was taking place. Now the Dragon Knights were discussing their next plan of action.

"I think we should follow Lloyd." Shana stated.

"Yeah, but he was all mean and pigheaded about it. And he said he didn't want us to follow him." Meru piped up.

"Never stopped any of us before." Dart said. "As I recall, you ran away from the Wingly Forest when you were told not to, Meru." The Wingly blushed and hid her face behind Kongol's back.

"Make up your mind so I can go take my nap." Haschel cut in again. "Us old people need out beauty sleep you know?"

"Alright then. We're going." Dart said simply. "But we're leaving right now." Haschel moaned. The small group filed out of the room, starting on their new quest, to help a man they had once called an enemy.

Miles, upon miles away, a lone Wingly flew across the arid wastelands of the Death Frontier. Finally, after what seemed like years, he dropped onto a walkway that would have been invisible to anyone but a Wingly, or someone who had a special key. He looked around Ulara; little had changed in the thousand or so years since he'd last been here. Walking slowly up to the highest room in the town, he knocked softly on the door; almost immediately, it was flung open by a short, fat, cheery looking female Wingly.

"Lloyd! Darling, it's been ages!" she cried as she hugged him.

"I'm not staying Charle." She saw the serious look on his face, and the stubborn set to his jaw, and sighed.

"Off on another adventure to 'bring Utopia'?"

"No, I'm going to save the girl I love."

"Oh, Lloyd, honey! That's perfectly wonderful!" He smiled slightly.

"I need you to send me to Mayfil."

"Humph, boring, smelly old place."

"Charle, please."

"Fine! Go stand on the teleporter. I'll get Charon."

Not long later, Lloyd stood in the middle of the teleporter, while a large groups of Winglies gathered around, siphoning their magical power into it.

"Thank you Charle," said Lloyd before he disappeared in a green blur.

"Thank me," she said softly, "by coming back alive."

Moments later, the Platinum-haired man, blinked into the teleporter room of Mayfil. _Strange, _he thought to himself, _no guards, I'd have expected better from Zackwell. _Before his thought was finished, however, a giant ray of energy slammed into him, flinging him fifty feet into a waiting pillar. The column broke in half and crashed to the ground, sending up a huge cloud of dust. Far above the cloud a young, female Wingly hovered, laughing to herself. Then, in the blink of an eye, a ball of orange energy flew out of the dust cloud, and smashed her into another pillar.

"Really, Lenus," said Lloyd, as he walked calmly out of the settling dust, "a surprise attack? You disappoint me."

"Yeah, yeah, hang it in your ear ya idiot! I loved you, and you shunned me! And I died for your stupid 'Utopia' or whatever. Now I'll kill you, then you'll have to stay here with me forever!"

With a mad laugh, she jumped back into the air and generated two razor sharp discs of magic, sending them hurtling towards the other Wingly. In one swift motion, Lloyd drew his sword, the golden hilt flashing in what little light there was, and knocked the discs aside with ease. Before another word had passed between them, he too was airborne with the Dragon Buster gripped tightly in his right hand, and his normal blade in his left. With a sound like a thunderclap, his two blades met the metal of her gauntlets and bounced off. Then, with one swift spin, he lashed out with the Buster and slashed her across the collarbone.

"Give up?" he asked, a smirk spreading across his face.

"You first." She replied, breathing heavily.

"Alright then."

Moving so fast his body was little more than a blur in the air; he sliced six columns in half. Before she knew what was happening, Lenus had been slammed over the back of the head by a piece of falling debris, and both her legs were crushed under another pillar. Blood spurted from her mouth, dying her teeth a hideous shade of crimson as she flashed him a maniacal smile.

"Can't…say I didn't…try." She managed, between great coughs of blood. He just walked away, never turning back to look at her crushed form. Kayla was all that mattered.

Dart furiously kicked at a rock on the ground sending it skittering away over the edge of the platform. He'd led the Dragoons back to the Wingly Forest, thinking the Elder could send them to Mayfil. But, the Winglies' power had greatly diminished and he could only send them as far as Zenebatos. Dart had conceded, thinking he could catch the teleporter from there. Yet here he stood, where only a few months ago the teleporter had been. And there was nothing here, just a dusty circle on the ground.

"Hey Dart! Whatcha lookin' at?" came an overly cheerful voice from somewhere to his left.

"I'm looking at what used to be the teleporter that could have taken us to Mayfil, Meru." He replied, the exasperation clear in his voice. Shana walked up and took his arm in her own.

"Maybe there's another way, Love?" she said. He looked down at her and smiled, she had a soothing power over him, a power that could quench the fire that raged within him. Was it the magic of her healing, White-Silver Dragoon? Or was it merely her radiant personality? He didn't know. But as long as she was with him, he knew, he could do anything.

"There has to be." Then he turned to Haschel, who was sitting cross-legged on a nearby rock. "Can you get us to Ulara?" he asked the Thunder Dragoon. The old man merely grunted. Then with a small nod of his head, he transformed into the Dragoon of the Violet Dragon. Reaching out his hand towards his team-mates, he surrounded them with a ball of lightning. Then, reaching his other towards the sky, he changed himself into a bolt of lightning and flashed across the sky towards Ulara, pulling his friends behind him.

In seconds, the Dragon Knights were dropping onto the main square of Ulara. And Charle was running up to them, "dear"-ing and "honey"-ing for all she was worth. When she heard what they wanted her lips went thin, and she put her hands on her hips. Wiping an imaginary smudge off Dart's face, much to his discomfort, she said,

"You silly people and your dumb old quests, why don't you just settle down and enjoy the simple life?"

"We are the Dragoons, Charle." Dart said. "If we 'settled down', the world as you know it could cease to exist, and there wouldn't be such a thing as a 'simple life'!"

With a sigh the old Wingly shook her head, and hurried off to gather the Winglies for the second time that day. Soon, the legendary heroes stood on the teleporter and waved and shouted their thanks to the assembled Winglies. Then, in a blur, identical to the one Lloyd had disappeared in only a few hours later, the Dragoons, too, disappeared.

Sword in hand, the Dragon Buster, returned to wherever it was it went when he made it disappear, Lloyd walked slowly through the Death City. Searching each pod he came across for any sign of Kayla, he moved at a slow, arduous pace. Then, as if fate had decided to ram its' sense of irony into overdrive, there she was, right in front of him. But something seemed strange about her. He shrugged it off as his imagination and took a step forward.

"Kay…" He never got the name out as she suddenly pressed her lips to his, hard. His eyes went wide. And he slowly pushed her away and held her at arms length. She gave him a coquettish grin.

"What's the matter big boy? Am I too hot for you to handle?" he knew something was wrong; this wasn't the Kayla he knew. The Kayla he loved.

"You feeling alright Kay?" he asked. She replied by forcing her mouth over his again. _What the hell! _ The thought burst through his mind as her tongue found its' way into his mouth. He shoved her back and stared hard at her. There was something seriously wrong. Suddenly, anger flared in her eyes, and she drew her daggers. Lunging at him. Parrying the wildly slashing blades, he took large steps back. Trying to push down his instinct to fight back. Then she got in a lucky slash to his forearm. With a hard shove he threw her to the ground. She grinned evilly.

"After I kill you, I'll kill those people you call your friends. No one rejects me!" Again she lunged at the horrified Wingly before her. _I don't believe this. Only one thing left to do. Send her soul where it can never come back. Kill her again. _

Taking a step back, he swung his sword in a blurred, silver, arc at the girl he loved. A crimson flood, flowed, from a deep wound in her throat. She smiled weakly as he dropped his sword and tried to wipe the blood away.

"I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry. I had to do it." She let out a dark laugh and then morphed into Zackwell.

"Mmm-hmm. I'm sure you did."

"Zackwell, you bastard! Where's Kayla! Tell me now or I swear I'll gut you as sure as you stand there with that stupid look on your face." He flung his hand out to his side, calling his sword to his hand.

"Oh, such emotion. Now, now, lets not be hasty." With a slight nod, the Lord of Mayfil caused a large, glass, cage to rise out of the floor; sitting in the centre of it was Kayla. Lloyd's features went hard.

"What do you want?"

"Simple! Prove your love for her! Kill these people." He waved his hand, and the rest of the Dragoons appeared in the middle of the floor. Blinking in the sudden light. "And I will restore her to you. Safe and sound, exactly as she was." Lloyd turned to the Dragon Knights, fury filling every cell of his face.

"What the hell are you doing here!" he exploded.

"We came to save your sorry ass boy! Show some gratitude!" Haschel screamed right back.

"Both of you; shut up." Dart said. "Zackwell just said something." The demon smiled again, and repeated his last statement.

"Kill your friends, and I'll give you back the girl you love." Lloyd's eyes widened.

He looked over at the people he had come to call his friends, then over at Kayla in her glass cage. She was crying, and shaking her head furiously at him. He looked back at the Dragoons. It was then that Shana stepped forward.

"Lloyd, if you love her, and you want her back this badly, go ahead. Kill us, we won't stop you."

Kongol and Meru moved to protest, but Dart silenced them with a hard glare. Then he turned to Lloyd, threw down his sword and spread his arms wide. The others followed suit, throwing down their weapons. The Wingly stared at them, then, slowly, he raised his sword. Kayla screamed in her sound-proof enclosure. Then with one sudden move, he swung his sword behind him and sliced Zackwell cleanly in two.

"No, she doesn't want to be alive if that's the cost. I won't do it." Zackwell gave a harsh laugh as he joined himself back together.

"I didn't think you had it in you, 'big boy'. I guess you passed my test." He nodded his head again, and the glass cage disintegrated. "But I keep the other one." And with that he flew off.

Kayla stood rooted to the spot as the cage disappeared. A few feet away from her Lloyd stood; confusion, and relief written all over his face at once. She took one unsteady step towards him, then, started to fall. Before she hit the floor, he was there, his strong arms around her supporting her. She collapsed against him, the tears coming again. Suddenly tender, he sheathed his sword and stroked her hair.

"Lloyd…you…you came…" she said slowly.

"Course I did. Did you think I wouldn't?"

"I…I…"

"Shh." He stopped her. "I know." She raised her tear-streaked face to look at him, and he smiled. She smiled back and slid her arms around his neck, pulling his head down until their lips were mere inches apart.

"What reward can I give my hero?"

"Oh, I could think of a few things." He said; a mischievous gleam in his eye. She pulled him down and kissed him slowly, for a long moment, it was just the two of them in that room. Nothing else mattered. Breathless, she broke the kiss.

"Will that suffice?" she asked with a wicked grin.

"Yeah, I think that'll do for now." He replied with a wide smile.

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Please review. I think this was the worst chapter so far. Would like to hear what you think though! Thanks.


	6. Rest?

Disclaimer: I DO NOT own any of the LoD characters in this FanFic except the OCs. Now that that's over with.

I added some more Furion into this one. Hope you like it. Maybe a bit dull eh? But I've got a great (well I think it's great) idea for the next chapter. Enjoy. :D

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_**The New Threat**_

_**Part VI:**_

**_Rest?_**

The dark-haired girl hummed softly to herself as she rinsed the soap off her body. Slowly, she got out of the river and towelled her body dry, then, she dressed in her usual dark purple and walked away from the bank, still humming quietly to herself. Retrieving her daggers from where she had stowed them between a tree's roots, Kayla sheathed them and continued back on her way to the castle.

Halfway back, she was met by a brown-haired girl, with a bow slung on her back. The Darkness Dragoon merely nodded a greeting to Shana and pressed onwards towards the castle. Today was her day, Lloyd would be waiting for her when she arrived, and she knew that. Shortly, she reached the castle, the majestic spires standing tall, far above her. With a small smile she leaped as high as she could, swung herself around a flagpole a few times to gain momentum, then let go and flew into the air. Moments later, she landed, lightly on the balls of her feet on a second floor balcony. She jumped up, and rushed into the room they had shared since he had brought her back from Mayfil. It was empty. Something inside her seemed to break. He'd forgotten. He'd forgotten their special day. She dropped heavily onto the bed and cradled her head in her hands. _How could he do this to me?_ She thought. _How could he forget? _

"What's the matter? Someone stand you up?" came a teasing voice. Without looking up, she flung a pillow in its' direction, eliciting a satisfactory thump. Then she flew off the bed, straight into his arms.

"Don't scare me like that!" she said, the hurt evident in her voice. "I thought you'd forgotten!"

"Hmm? Forget? I was down in the kitchen getting the food." He replied, motioning to a large, overstuffed, picnic basket sitting on the floor outside the door. "Can't have a picnic without food, can we?" she flushed, the blood rushing to her face as she smiled at him.

"No, I guess not."

"Shall we?"

"Okay." The Wingly picked up the basket and started off down the stairs, the girl walking beside him. As he reached the bottom of the stairs, he felt her fingers intertwine with his. He turned to her, surprised at the show of affection. She just grinned up at him, like a kid who's just opened her Christmas presents, and leaned her head on his shoulder. They walked that way out the gates.

High above them another couple stood on a balcony, watching as the two lovebirds, strolled happily through the gates. Shana wrapped her arms around Dart's neck and sighed happily. Dart looked down into her brown eyes and smiled.

"They're so cute!" Shana squealed suddenly. Dart flinched, then, grinned down at her again.

"Yeah, they do look really happy."

"Mmm." He wrapped his arms around her waist, and for a long while they just stood there, staring into each others' eyes. Then, he pulled her close, and held her tight.

"I love you Dart." She whispered in his ear.

"I love you too." Those four little words sent a thrill of pleasure through her body.

In Fletz, Albert had just kissed Emille. The three day wedding ceremony was over. In the eyes of the law they were finally man and wife. King Zior stood over the newlyweds, a wide smile on his fat face. With a great flourish, he tied the sash around the new couple's wrists and held them up.

"Behold!" he bellowed to the gathered crowd, "Your future King and Queen!"

A tumultuous cheer rose from the crowd and they all bowed.

Furion stood leaning casually against a pillar, he was the only one who'd opted to come for Albert's wedding. It wasn't like he had anything else to do. Leaning stoically against the pillar, he remembered his own wedding, only two years before. He and Lilith had been so happy. He could still remember her smile, when he had asked her to marry him. The first thing she'd said was,

"God, Furion! What took you so long?" they'd both laughed, then strolled off to get their parents approval. Then the day she'd died flashed into his mind.

He'd been inside, cleaning his scythe after his last job, and she'd just walked out to get some water for their dinner. It had only been a few minutes when he'd heard her scream. In a frenzy, he grabbed his scythe and sprinted out the door towards the well. He was too late though. By the time he got there he was only in time to catch the lion-like creatures, each with a single, vicious horn on its' head fleeing back into the forest. She lay on the ground, a bite in her throat, and a huge gash along her stomach. Amazingly, she was still alive. He'd promised her, with tears in his eyes; that it would all be alright. That he'd take care of her. And she'd smiled and died in his arms. Dull with shock, he'd walked back to the house, packed his few meagre belongings, and set off to kill the beasts. He'd caught up with them a week later, and slaughtered the whole pack. With nothing left to live for, he'd become a mercenary. Until he'd found these people. Looking up he noticed the room was empty, how long had he stood there? Shaking the remnants of his memories off, he pushed away from the wall and walked from the throne room.

The sun shone through the trees, dappling the floor of the quiet glade. A deer scampered out of sight as the two humans intruded on its territory. Well, one human, and a Wingly. Lloyd had his arm around her waist, and Kayla rested her head on his shoulder. They walked slowly into the clearing, their eyes taking in its quiet beauty.

"Let's stop here." Said Kayla softly.

"Alright." He let go of her and laid out a large cloth on the ground. Then, reaching into the basket he brought out plates, and cutlery, and even glasses. Kayla laughed.

"Did you remember to pack any food in there?" He just smiled, and brought out what seemed like a huge feast from the basket. He poured some wine into the glasses and handed her one. Smiling the whole time.

"Well, milady," he said putting on a falsely sophisticated voice, "shall we have a toast?" she giggled.

"Of course kind sir." She replied, playing along. "What shall we toast to?"

"To us." He said.

"To us." She replied. They clinked glasses and drank down the contents.

Hours later, they lay next to each other their heads touching, looking up at the sky. The Wingly rolled over onto his side and stared at Kayla. _Strange how she's changed me, _he thought, _oh gods, I must be loosing my nerve. _With a smile he wrapped his arm around her again. The girl looked over at him, surprised by the tender gesture. Could this be the same Lloyd she had met just a few months ago? The cold, calculating Wingly, with the killer gleam in his eye?_ No matter_, she thought happily, _I like him like this. That's why I fell in love with him. _That thought stopped her. _Kayla my dear, you're going soft on me. _She smiled back at him and rested her head on his chest. In moments she was asleep, and, lulled by the peaceful sound of her breathing, the Wingly soon followed.

Haschel hit the training post again. "Flurry of Styx!" A blast of electrical energy exploded against it, leaving a huge burn mark where it had made contact, but not doing any other noticeable damage. "Hex Hammer!" the thick oak tree trunk, snapped like a twig. With a small smile the Martial Arts Master moved to the next one. With a loud crack the next three posts shattered. Satisfied that he'd done enough for one day, Haschel turned to leave, only to be met by a loud voice, calling out,

"Hiya Haschel!"

"Hi Meru, come down to train?" he replied, taking in the young Wingly with the shining eyes and a huge hammer slung over her shoulder.

"Nah! I was just looking for Kongol. Have ya seen him?"

"Uh, he was sitting in the gardens, last time I checked."

"Okay! Thanks Haschel!" she called over her shoulder as she rushed off towards the gardens. The old man shook his head indulgingly after her, then, walked slowly back to his quarters to meditate some more.

Outside, sitting in the midsummer sun, the hulking form of the Giganto could clearly be seen. He sat uncomfortably, on a stone bench that looked like it came from a doll house under him. With his eyes closed, he leaned back against the trunk of a tree that had grown up behind the bench and breathed deeply of the summer air. _This life good. _He thought to himself. Soon a flashing, blue figure came sprinting out of the castle, and jumped squarely into his lap. Patting his cheek affectionately, Meru looked up at the Giganto.

"Hiya!" Kongol only grunted, with a slight smile on his face. "Don'tcha wanna say something to your bestest best friend?" he simply grunted again and leaned back against the tree again. Meru, however, was not to be dissuaded so easily; she rested her head tenderly on his large chest and closed her eyes. His eyes flew open, looking down at the small figure resting on his chest, he felt a new feeling dawn on him. Someone cared for him. It was a strange feeling, one he was not accustomed to, but it felt good. He raised a hand and awkwardly patted the top of her head. She smiled, snuggled more into his chest, and promptly fell asleep. He just sat there, feeling even more uncomfortable, yet not wanting to move, lest she awoke. In the end, he closed his eyes and leaned back against the tree again.

Lloyd's eyes practically burst open. A noise had woken him, something that didn't belong in the stillness of the woods. Slowly easing himself out from under Kayla's head, he drew his sword, and walked to the edge of the clearing. His sword in its classic fighting position, by his side, he advanced, slowly, calmly. He was in his element, for years he'd been a hunter, of many things, men not least among them. There was someone, hiding unseen in the darkness under the trees. All of a sudden, a hand touched his shoulder, and he whirled, bringing his sword to bear on his assailant.

"Relax." Kayla said, as she took a step back. "You almost killed me. Again"

"Shhh, there's someone hiding in the trees over there." With a silent nod, she drew her daggers from behind her back. Without another word, they advanced, cautiously towards the unknown watcher.

With a roar the huge bear lunged out of the trees at the pair. Suddenly relieved, Lloyd simply let his instincts take over. Rushing forwards, he seemed to disappear right in front of the bear. Then, large slash marks appeared on the creature's skin, and Lloyd reappeared behind him, a thin trickle of blood running down the edge of his sword. With an ear-splitting cry, the bear dropped to the ground, dead before it hit. With a flick of his wrist, Lloyd returned his sword to its sheath on his back, and walked back to Kayla. She sheathed her daggers as well, and flopped down onto the cloth again.

"You coulda let me at least touch the thing." She said huffily.

"No way, it would have killed you before you touched it."

"Oh?" she said angrily, "so I'm just supposed to sit back while you risk your fool neck trying to protect me all the time? No thanks."

"Look," he answered vehemently. "You're not fighting unnecessarily. And that's that." She threw up her hands angrily.

"FINE!"

"Fine." With that, the dark-haired girl stormed out of the glade, back towards the castle. Shaking his head at the insanity of women, the Wingly repacked the picnic things. Just as he closed the basket, a voice spoke.

"Lloyd, it's been awhile." Turning slowly, the platinum-haired man, faced an all too familiar figure, dressed in dark purple, with a deep purple breastplate.

"About a year and a half, as I recall, Doel." He said coolly. "Have some unfinished business?"

"No, actually, I'm only here to do this." He lifted his arm, and Lloyd felt a sharp pain in his chest. "Doel, you bastard."

"I'm merely releasing your full power. Have fun." And he vanished.

The Wingly remained writhing on the ground. Then, suddenly, a shimmering light burst forth from the stone sewn into his vest. It engulfed him. And he felt the Dragoon armour solidify around him. But this time it was different. The stone had finally recognised him as its true bearer. His headband grew, and became encrusted with emeralds, the largest of which slid over his left eye. Then he felt the six huge wings sprout out of his back. His sword changed, the light surrounded it as well, and it turned into a wickedly curved, razor sharp weapon. After a long moment, the light cleared, and Lloyd stood there transformed, he was now, truly, the Divine Dragoon. With a single stretch of his magnificent wings, he lifted off the ground, and flashed off towards the castle.

Far away, in the Twin Castle of Fletz, Albert lay next to Emille in their bed; she rolled over on her side and twirled a stray strand of his hair around her finger. He rolled over as well and faced her.

"Enjoying yourself, my love?" he asked her playfully.

"Yes, exceedingly." She smiled back at him. "Do you…" her question was cut off by a gigantic blast, which rocked the castle. Albert jumped up and grabbed his lance from where it hung on the wall. With a worried look at his wife, he rushed from the room. Running along the halls, he spotted Furion on his way outside as well, scythe in hand.

Another blast rocked the building, just as they burst out the front doors. The sight that greeted them was nothing short of horrific. Dead and dying castle guards were scattered all over what was left of the town square. And right in the middle of all the rubble, sat the Elemental Dragon. _Oh damn, _thought Furion, _how the hell am I supposed to handle this? _ He saw Albert hurl his spear right at the beast. It sunk up to its spiked end into the Dragon's middle eye. The creature simply thrust it out again, and launched itself into the air. Before he knew what he was doing, Furion heard his own voice calling,

"Jade Dragoon! Emerge!" the flash of green subsided, and he stretched his mighty wings and soared after the Dragon. As he rose, he called down to Albert.

"Get back inside! Send word to the others! I need their help! Quick!" with a nod, the King rushed back to the castle grabbing the nearest messenger and giving him the urgent message. The boy nodded, and ran towards the stables. With a sinking feeling inside of him, Albert rushed back into the chamber he and Emille shared.

"Emille, we're under attack, you have to get out of here." Without a word, she nodded and left. When he was sure she was gone, he sprinted to the barracks and called the soldiers together.

Soon he was marching back towards the town square with a whole contingent of archers, knights, and spearmen behind him. He arrived, just in time to see Furion plummet from the sky and smash into a nearby stall, only to jump back into the air. With a cry, Albert ordered his men to open fire on the great beast bearing down on them.

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Review? Thanks! Hope you liked this one. I finally had Lloyd come into his full powers! The stone accepted him! Wow! Can't wait for the next chapter. :D Thanks. and hope you liked it.


	7. Betrayal

Hey guys! I finally finished Part 7! Had to wrack my brain to find an interesting plot twist. And I hope the next Chapter will be even more interesting. Enjoy!

(Insert annoying disclaimer here.)

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_**The New Threat:**_

**_Part VII: Betrayal_**

The boy was riding hard through the woods. His horse foamed at the mouth as he pushed it even harder, urging it to finish the last leg of the journey. After what seemed like an age, the horse finally flew into the courtyard of the castle and dropped, its sides heaving from exhaustion. The messenger jumped off the poor creature and sped up the castle steps. He burst into the main hall where seven people were sitting around a long table, talking to each other. Before the guards could stop him, he rushed to a man dressed all in black, with short, platinum hair, and began his message.

"I must deliver this message to the leader of the Dragoons." He said to the man. The man looked over at another warrior in red armor and smirked.

"Yeah, that's me." He replied. The page nodded and launched hurriedly into his message.

"Three hours ago the Twin Castle in Fletz was attacked by an unknown Dragon. The Dragoon, Furion is currently holding it at bay, while waiting for the remaining Dragon Knights to arrive and assist him. King Albert requests that they make haste." With a single movement the seven warriors leapt to their feet and rushed out the door, leaving the confused messenger standing alone in the empty room.

The group burst out the front doors into the courtyard where the horse still lay panting. In seven flashes of light they transformed, Lloyd held back the true power of his stone for now. He'd show them later. The Dragoons winged off towards Fletz at amazing speed. Long tails of light streaming out behind them. Moments later, their Dragon wings having propelled them at incredible speed, they were hovering on the outskirts of the sprawling city. Their eyes scanned the area, finding nothing, fear that they had come too late swept through the group, but then they saw a flash of grey and green high above them. In the next moment, Furion came plummeting down and smashed a cart beneath them. Opening his eyes, he caught sight of his teammates hovering above him. His hair hung limp with sweat around his face, and blood was trickling into his eye from a cut just above his brow. Albert and his soldiers had long since retreated to the castle, severely beaten and exhausted, their dead still littering the scorched ground.

"What took you so long!" Furion called up to them.

"Sorry," Lloyd shot back, "we stopped for some refreshment!"

"Smart-ass." the Jade Dragoon muttered.

"Dragon coming." Came Kongol's voice.

At that moment, a huge stream of fire swept between the Dragoons, they scattered every which way, and looked up at the creature bearing down on them. The Elemental Dragon let out an ear-splitting roar and fired spears of ice at the heroes. Having recovered from their initial shock, however, the Dragoons weren't about to sit back and take a beating. Flying straight into the barrage, they used their weapons to smash the spears before they could have any effect. Seeing a particularly large spear headed Kayla's way, Lloyd sent a blast of energy at it, shattering it into a million tiny diamonds. Shooting a furious glance his way Kayla flew towards another spear and smashed it in mid-flight.

Then, the Dragon was upon them. Before he could react, Kongol was smashed full-force in the chest by its spiked tail. One of the wicked barbs ripping a line across his arm. Dropping his axe he fell into a dive to retrieve it. Meru saw the movement, and slammed her hammer down on the beast's ugly snout with tremendous force. It was stunned for only a moment, but that was all the time that was needed. Calling the Dragon Buster to his hand, Lloyd, nodded at Dart and Kayla. As one, they sped towards the stunned creature, dropping onto its back and hacking off its great wings with a few deft movements. The beast roared with pain, and dropped like a rock, swinging its head from side to side as Shana released her own barrage at its eyes. Haschel fired a huge ball of lightning right down its throat, and Furion slashed off one of its ugly tusks with one swipe of his scythe. With a great scream, the Dragon blasted Shana, with a searing flame and jumped into the sea, diving deep beneath the surface.

The Dragon Knights dropped to the ground and morphed back to their human forms. Dart rushed over to Shana and shook her by her shoulders. She opened her eyes and flung her arms around his neck.

"Dart! What happened? Did we beat it?" She asked hurriedly.

"No, it got away again. But I'm more worried about you. Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine, Love. The Dragoon armor deflected the worst of it. All I've got are some singed hairs." Dart smiled and kissed her forehead, then took her by the hand and helped her up. Lloyd landed next to Kayla and looked her up and down.

"You alright, Kay?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Came her short reply. Leaning close to her ear, he whispered,

"You still mad at me?"

"What do you think?" She snapped, and stalked off to find Meru.

On the other side of the square Meru was bandaging up Kongol's arm as he sat on the cart that Furion had broken. Haschel stood nearby making jokes about her healing abilities, and Furion was sitting exhaustedly on a nearby bench. Kayla walked over to the small group and tapped Meru lightly on the shoulder. The Wingly turned and saw her friend.

"Hey, Kay."

"How can I help?" Asked Kayla.

"I think I've got it pretty much covered, thanks anyway."

"Why you no with white-hair man?" The Giganto inquired. Kayla waved a hand carelessly in front of her face.

"He's treating me like a child." She said, as Haschel laughed.

"I'm not surprised." Said the Martial Arts Master. "He was worried sick about you when you died. Nearly picked a fight with me."

"Yeah, that sounds like Lloyd." Meru piped up.

A few minutes later, a trumpet blared, and a large entourage of courtiers came marching out of the Castle. Albert shoved them out of the way and stood before his friends. The Dragon Knights immediately dropped to their knees, all except Lloyd, who stood there with his arms crossed that familiar smirk on his lips. With a slightly annoyed glance at the Wingly, the King rushed toward his comrades.

"Get up! Don't be stupid, get up!" He called to them. Rushing to Dart, he took him by the arm and yanked him upright. "Don't be stupid. We're friends."

"Uh, yeah." He nodded to the others and they slowly got to their feet as well.

"What happened?"

Lloyd walked up and stood next to Dart, smirking at the king, much to his irritation, Dart shot the Wingly a look, and launched into his account of the battle with the Dragon. Albert waited until he was done to ask his questions.

"So, that Thing was a Dragon?" He asked.

"Yeah."

"I thought all the Dragons were dead?"

"They are. I think this might be a new Dragon."

"A new Dragon!" The king burst out. "Where the hell could it come from!" Dart just shrugged.

"No idea."

"Then how do we stop it?"

"I don't know." With a smirk, Lloyd walked over and draped a hand casually over the King's shoulder.

"Hey, Al. Lighten up. I know how the thing exists, and I know how to kill it." Albert disdainfully moved out from under the Wingly's arm and stared hard at him.

"Do tell."

"The only way that Dragon can exist, is if someone created it. And the only way to destroy it is to destroy the person who created it." The people around him stared as if he had just announced he was a woman.

"How do you know all this?" Albert finally asked, breaking the silence. Lloyd just shrugged.

"I read."

"How do we find out who made it?"

"You have to access its memories. That should get you what you need."

"You heard the man!" the King barked. "Get a move on. We need a way to trap it, and someone who can access its mind." The soldiers threw him a salute and marched back up to the castle.

Soon, a decidedly feminine figure came running down the steps and flew straight into Albert's arms. Emille rested her head on her husband's shoulder, and wrapped her arms around his neck, not wanting to let go. Lloyd watched the two of them for a long moment, his face unreadable. Then, he powered up and winged away, back towards Bale. Kayla followed him with her eyes until he flashed out of sight, a pang of regret shooting through her. But she just shook it off, and followed the others into the castle.

Far, far away, Zackwell stared into his pool, watching the events he had set in motion unfold. So the Wingly knew how to defeat the Dragon, _that might prove to be an annoyance, _he thought. _I shall simply have to get rid of him. And I know just how to do it._ With a small smile he pulled a piece of parchment towards him and began to write.

Moments later, the same messenger boy who had delivered the king's summons earlier that day, came running up the steps of the Twin Castle and burst into the dining room. The torches burned brightly in their brackets, and the table was set. Around the table sat nine people, the King, his Queen, and seven of the eight Dragoons. Shoving the guards aside, the boy flew to Albert's side.

"My Lord! A message my Lord." He said.

"From whom?"

"From Mr. Lloyd, my liege." The former Wind Dragoon ripped the message from the messenger's hands and read it. Then he passed it to Dart, who was seated at his right. The message read,

_Dragoons,_

_I know who created the Dragon. Meet me at Mount Dragon Tomb._

_Lloyd_

After a few moments, Dart looked up from the parchment at the group.

"It's Lloyd; he knows who set the Dragon on us." Without a sound, the Dragon Knights got up from their seats and filed out of the Hall. Albert watched them go, his silence matching theirs. Soon, this would all be over.

Back in Bale, Lloyd paced back and forth across the floor of the training room. His eyes were closed, as if he was concentrating hard on something, and his fists were clenching and unclenching at his sides. _She's still mad at me. Still mad…still mad…_ "STILL MAD!" He burst out. With one swift motion, he generated a sphere of energy in his palm, pulling power into it from the surrounding air. It grew larger and larger finally he flung it furiously at one of the large training posts. The tree trunk exploded, sending splinters flying every which way. With a cry of frustration and pent up anger, the Wingly drew his sword and flashed across the room.

One hour later, the training room was unrecognizable. Scorch marks covered the usually spotless walls, and the training posts lay in ruins, slashed to tiny pieces. A huge, blackened crater had appeared in the middle of the floor, and at the bottom of the crater was Lloyd. He leaned heavily on his sword, sweat dripped to the ground from his limp hair. His breath came in short gasps, and he bled from a deep cut across his cheek, where a flying chip of stone had cut into the tender flesh.

"She wants to stay mad at me? Fine, time to get even." With a smirk he vanished, leaving the ravaged room for the guards to find.

Three days after laving Fletz, the seven Dragoons stepped off the Queen Fury, onto the docks of Fueno. Quickly they rented horses from a nearby stable, and rode full tilt towards Mount Dragon Tomb. In a matter of hours, they had reached the pass. It was almost a year since they had last been to this place, yet nothing seemed to have changed. The same guard still stood at attention, the trees still looked half-withered and foreboding.

With a nod to the drowsy guard, Dart led the team through the pass. The landscape became increasingly gray and dead. The rocks burned with an inhuman heat, and the distant cries of some animal echoed off the sides of the valley. The small troop walked close together, weapons drawn, their eyes scanning every crevice and shadow for evidence of a trap. Unconsciously, Shana drew closer to Dart, who wrapped his free arm around her waist.

Kayla watched the two, wishing she hadn't been so pigheaded towards Lloyd; _he only wanted to protect me. He did it because he cares. And I pushed him away. _She shook off the depressing thoughts again, and gripped her daggers tighter. She'd apologize to him later. Right now they had to concentrate on getting to the meeting place alive. Suddenly, a flying green form slammed into her, sending her hurtling through the air towards a particularly large group of razor sharp rocks. She closed her eyes waiting for the impact, then something else slammed into her and grabbed her, hauling her out of the air and dropping her lightly onto her feet.

"Be careful would you? I'm too old to be saving careless young women." Grumbled the Thunder Dragoon. She shot him an annoyed look and rushed over towards Meru who had also been knocked down by the creature.

"You okay Meru?" She asked.

"I'm fine. What was that thing?"

"Kongol think we find out soon." Came the Giganto's voice.

"Dragoons! On your guard, we're surrounded!" Shouted Dart to the rest. Looking up, Kayla saw lines upon lines of the creatures. Green scales, long, cruel talons, huge bat-like wings, and razor sharp teeth, dripping a dark liquid.

"Oh, damn." She breathed, as the animals attacked.

Lloyd jumped into the sky for the second time that day. Winging away towards Mount Dragon Tomb, the wind whipped across his face, and he pulled a black bandana from his pocket and tied it around his mouth and nose, making himself look like a bandit. His sword was in his hand as he dropped out of the air into the valley that led to the summit of the mountain. Quickly, he ran uphill, following the crude path that would lead him to his friends.

Dart drove his sword through the heart of the last beast. With a high-pitched scream, it feel to the ground, its tail swinging madly for a few moments until its brain realized it was dead and stopped sending signals to its muscles. Shana was already working on healing a deep slash that one of the animals had given Meru; and Haschel was poking around the dead bodies. The corpses steamed as they lay scattered on the ground, and a putrid stink was already beginning to fill the area.

"Come on, guys. Let's get out of here." Shana said. The others eagerly assented and the group began its trek again. But just as they had left the bodies behind them a black figure slammed into Kayla and sent her flying. _Oh for god's sake, _she thought as Haschel caught her again.

"We really have to stop meeting like this." He quipped. She just ignored him and jumped up, drawing her daggers, her eyes scanning the walls on either side of them. There was nothing there. Suddenly, Meru cried out as she was sent flying into the rock wall, slamming her head against it, and passing out. Kongol, enraged at this treatment of the

Wingly girl, began swinging his axe wildly about. But in the next instant something hard and cold had smashed into the crown of his head with incredible force, and he too blacked out. Furion stood his ground, his scythe at the ready his eyes searching every bit of shadow, he saw a dark flash and swung at it, hit air, the felt the hilt of a sword slam into his temple and crumpled to the ground. Dart whirled just in time to see Haschel get knocked out as well. Leaving just him, Shana, and Kayla to deal with their unseen attacker. The Fire Dragoon watched helplessly as another dark blur flashed behind Shana, and she dropped to the ground.

"Where are you! Show yourself, coward!" He shouted.

As soon as he did, a figure materialized in front of him, dressed all in black, a piece of cloth hiding the lower half of his face, and sent him headfirst into the rock wall. Jumping back, blood trickling down his face, from a gash in his forehead, he span around, swinging his sword at the attacker. Hitting nothing but empty air, he whirled again, only to be sent flying into Kayla, who stood bewildered as he came barreling into her. Slowly, he got up and helped her to her feet. Then, he picked up his sword and thrust his hand to the stone hidden in his armor.

"Red Eye Dragoon! Emerge!" He cried, and closed his eyes as he felt the flames envelop him, their warmth reassuring him. The red light played across the silent walls, as he transformed. In the next instant, he had a fireball in his left hand and his flaming sword in his right. "Come on coward! Show yourself!" He shouted again.

The figure appeared again, a ball of energy in its own hand, pointed straight towards Dart's own sphere of flames. The Dragoon sent more power into his fireball, causing it to grow, and the black clad man did the same. Dart detected the shift in the man's eyes a moment too late, the ball of energy slammed into him sending him careening straight into the rocks again. His head slammed against one and he remembered no more.

Now the villain turned on Kayla who stood there as if nailed to the ground beneath her feet. _He just beat Dart, the strongest Dragoon I know. What chance do I stand? I wish Lloyd was here, he'd kick this guy's ass. _ The thought burned into her mind, as the figure powered up another ball of energy. In the next instant, her instincts cast her mind aside, and she too transformed into her Dragoon form. Holding her daggers out in front of her, she generated her own sphere of magic, it crackled with the power it contained, red spots floating across its black surface. The two combatants fired off their charges at the same moment. The two spheres colliding mid-way between the warriors. They seemed to writhe together in some twisted dance for long moments, then, in a brilliant flash of orange light, neutralized each other. Quick as a flash, Kayla flung a dagger for her enemy; it left a long, deep slash across his upper arm before returning to her hand.

"Now, show your face. Or are you afraid."

"No," the man finally spoke, his voice was all too familiar, but it couldn't be, "but you might be." With slow, deliberate movements, he untied the cloth from around his face and let it fall. The moment she saw his face her knees gave out and she reverted to her human form, falling to her knees in the dust.

"No, it can't be. No…" She looked up at the man standing there smirking at her.

"What's the matter?" Lloyd said, as he powered up another energy sphere. "Cat got your tongue?" Then he laughed, a deep, menacing laugh, and threw the sphere at the girl who knelt, crying, on the ground.

To be continued…

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Well, hope you enjoyed it, and sorry for taking so long to get it up. Part 8 is in the works. So you shouldn't have to wait too long. I hope. And would love more reviews! Thanks!


	8. The Threat Revealed

Disclaimer: I do not own Legend of Dragoon, nor anything related to it. All characters are the Property of Sony Entertainment. Only the Original Characters and the events which take place are my creation. That being said. Onw tih the story!

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_**The New Threat:**_

_**Part VIII: **_

_**The Threat Revealed**_

The orange sphere whistled through the air, gaining speed as it hurtled toward the girl who kneeled, shaking on the hard ground. Lloyd stood back, an insane grin on his face as he waited for it to make contact. Suddenly, the needle sharp point of an arrow slammed into the back of his knee, breaking the bone. The ball of magic dissipated. He grunted, pulling the arrow out of his leg, as Shana, Furion and Kongol got up and faced him, each with their weapons ready.

"You bastard," Furion spat at him, "we trusted you, and THIS is what you give us?" Lloyd smirked painfully.

"Guess you trusted the wrong guy." Throughout all this, Kongol had been stepping closer to the Wingly, until he stood right up in front of him, towering over the man.

"Kongol want know why, Lloyd do this." With a hand on his chest, Lloyd blasted the Giganto straight back into the canyon wall.

"This is not some soap opera. Nor some romance story where the villain explains all before he kills the hero. No, you will all die at my hand, here and now." He raised his sword, but as he did, he was blown back against the sharp rocks by an orb of dark magic. Kayla stood there, her face tear-stained, in her Dragoon armor, behind her, stood the rest, Haschel, Dart, and Meru. She searched his face for any sign of regret, and, finding none, powered up one of her daggers.

"Lloyd. I can't believe I trusted you. I…loved you. I should have seen you for what you are from the start, a no good, bottom feeding, bastard. I resent you for the love you've taken from me. That's why; I want to be the one to kill you." She said, her voice, low and cold. The Wingly simple laughed, and flashed his sword through the air.

"Come then. I will destroy you."

Without another word, Kayla threw her dagger with all her strength, even as everything in her being screamed at her to stop, that there was some logical explanation. That this was really the man she loved. But she didn't, the dagger flashed in the waning light, on a collision course for his throat as he stood there without moving. It was moments from striking him, when there was a clang of metal, and the dagger flew off, striking the rocks with a clash.

For a moment, they all stood rooted to the spot, thinking the man had deflected the blow, but he hadn't. There was a blade, identical to the one he wielded stuck in the ground, quivering in front of him. And he was looking upwards at the summit of the canyon wall. Following his gaze, the Dragoons looked up; the sun was outlining a figure at the top of the ridge. He stood with a certain confidence that was familiar to all of them.

"I'm sorry," he said, in that all too familiar voice, "But it seems this gentleman and I have a score to settle."

Kayla gasped, staring up at the man who was now revealed as Lloyd, while the doppelganger smirked.

"It seems you have a flair for the dramatic. Lloyd." He said.

"Why don't you show us your real face, instead of hiding behind mine, hm?" The Wingly retorted.

The copy smiled maliciously. And all of a sudden, a rain of spikes flew from his fingertips, flying at incredible speed toward the man on the ridge. Lloyd evaded easily, leaping into the air, and firing a blast of magic at the other, as he landed with a flip before the stunned Dragoons. The copy was slammed back against the rocks again, his sword flying through the air, before landing squarely in Lloyd's hand. The Wingly called his own to his other hand, holding the two identical swords, in a casual fighting stance.

"Now, your real identity, please, or things might get nasty."

That same smirk stayed on the copy's face, as he passed a hand over it, a cloud of darkness descended over the man, and when it dissipated, not Lloyd, but Zackwell stood there. His scythe held casually in his hand, and his great, bat-like wings touching both walls of the small canyon. The grin now turned into a horrible mask of malevolence as the razor teeth curled into a knowing smile.

Kayla watched the events unfolding with an increasing sense of the surrealism, the complete and utter impossibility of the situation. The Lord of Mayfil who had held her captive, tested Lloyd's loyalty to his friends, and who now held Miranda in that terrible city. He was here. All she could do was stare wide-eyed in fear, as Lloyd spoke, his words coming as if from the bottom of a well.

She could feel the scream mounting in her throat, wanting to get out, but she couldn't let it out. Her mouth was too dry. Her throat felt tight. _Oh god, _she thought, _Oh god… oh god…_

The others still stood beside her, the shock clearly written on their faces. Zackwell had left Mayfil to attack them. Why?

Lloyd had had enough of talk. The demon had meddled in his affairs for too long. With a shout, he charged, running hard and fast toward the monster, the swords held low. In a flash he was upon the demon, he dodged under a wide swing of the scythe, and slashed at its shaft, letting his spin carry him for a second slash at the demon's head. Zackwell winged high into the air, and Lloyd the hate and anger boiling over inside of him, called on his wings, following easily.

His attacks became wild, but precise; every frenzied movement backed by his centuries of battle prowess. The two swords we mere flashes of light to the others who gazed into the sky at this battle of two gods as it seemed. Sparks rained from every blow the Wingly delivered, and the demon countered, making it look like lightning flashes, in the dusk sky. Magic flew back and forth between the two combatants until finally; the Wingly performed a terrifying move.

Diving toward the ground at incredible speed, he looked back to see that demon following suit. They hurtled toward the earth like two Icarus' on their path of self destruction. But just as the ground jumped up at him, Lloyd reversed his flight, shooting upwards. Zackwell, unable to stop, kept on moving toward the ground, and as he passed the Wingly, Lloyd slashed off his great wings. With a scream, he plummeted to the ground, smashing into it with awe-inspiring force. Lloyd was not finished. Charging one sword with magic, he flung it into the crater formed by the monster's fall. Moments later an explosion rocked the ground, the concussion battering the awestruck Dragoons.

Lloyd dropped gently to the ground, falling to one knee, before using his sword to painfully raise himself back up. He turned to look over his shoulder at the rigid forms of his friends.

"Hello." No one replied. "Guess that's the only reception I'm going to get. Since I am a, what was it? Oh yes, 'no good, bottom feeding, bastard.' Correct?" Kayla stepped forward a shocked, doe-eyed look on her face.

"Lloyd, I…I didn't…"

"Forget it. You know, at least one good thing came of this. Now I know what you all really think of me. I won't be sticking around, then."

"I think you're overreacting," Haschel spoke.

"Shut up, old man."

"We… isn't there anything we could say to get you to stay?" Shana asked pleadingly, when she saw Kayla was close to tears.

"No."

A tear slid down Kayla's cheek as she stared at the stony face of the Wingly before them. She did her best to stop the others that were on the way, but she couldn't there went the second, and the third, and then a whole flood. She stared at the ground, but then she caught sight of something behind Lloyd. A hand caught on to the edge of the crater where Zackwell had fallen, and slowly, the demon pulled himself out, the stumps of his wings already healed. She shouted.

In that instant three things happened, Zackwell flung his scythe at Kayla, the Wingly turned, and Kayla screamed. Lloyd's protective reflexes took over, and he smashed the scythe away with his sword. But that gave the demon time to leap fully out of the crater and unleash another storm of needles at the group. The others, safe in their Dragoon armor were totally protected, but Lloyd got hammered, and hammered bad. The needles dug into his flesh, feeling like a million burning splinters lodging into his flesh; somehow, he endured the attack. Every agonizing moment feeling like a decade

When the attack ended, he stood there, looking like a human pincushion, blood dripping from numberless punctures. Not serious, but exceedingly painful. He spat a glob of blood onto the rocks, raising his sword again, and calling out the Dragon Buster.

"You really need to die." He spoke slowly.

Then, to the stunned amazement of the group he charged the demon, however, the Lord of Mayfil had learned his lesson.

"Now, now. Not so hasty my boy. If you want a fight, I'll give you one." He made a high whistling sound, the echoes reverberating eerily throughout the canyon. Then, far away, there was an ear-splitting roar. All the Dragoons looked up into the sky, and from the sky dropped the Elemental Dragon, surrounded by a hoard of the green, lesser dragons which had attacked them earlier. Lloyd glared at the demon.

"What do you want?" Dart asked.

"It's simple, really. An uncomplicated emotion even you humans are capable of grasping. Revenge. You dealt me a grievous blow when you defeated me. The dead no longer respect me. They roam freely around Mayfil unchecked, unhindered, as if they were alive. You destroyed the sanctity of my kingdom. So now, I shall destroy your world. I will subjugate each race, and you will all bow to me." Here he broke off and patted the snout of the Dragon which had landed beside him. "Say hello to the Elemental Dragon. I'm sure you'll all have a lot of fun. See you soon." And in a dark blur he was gone.

The Dragons roared and charged as one terrible force of nature. And suddenly, all the Dragoons knew what the new threat Lavitz had warned them of was. Never dreaming they were still being played like puppets on a string. However, the current problem was the dragons. Lloyd took a deep, tortured breath, and closed his eyes. He was tired, far too tired. But nonetheless he summoned his Dragoon, and for the first time since the day Doel had unleashed it, used the full power of the stone, his sword becoming the wickedly curved blade of the Diving Dragoon, the stone sliding down over his eye, and the wings sprouting out his back. Not waiting for any of the others to utter a word, he charged the dragon army.

Kayla stared in disbelief as Lloyd's Dragoon took its true form. She had never seen this before. But, judging from the faces of all the others except Furion, they had. She stared in complete disbelief as he charged the hoard of creatures, and almost cheered when smaller dragons began to plummet from the air. Then, without a word to the others she charged in after him.

They all snapped out of the awe that had overtaken them since the fight between Lloyd and Zackwell had begun, and rushed to the aid of their teammates. Soon, the dragons were falling like flies, arrows; slash marks, and burn marks adorning their smashed bodies. The Dragoons worked like a precision machine, littering the ground below them with the putrid corpses of the loathsome creatures.

Dart hacked off the head of a particularly persistent dragon, and watched as Shana killed another with a shot to the heart. Furion swung his scythe furiously, the monsters shied away from his flashing blade as he sliced one clean in half. Meru and Kongol were back to back, smashing their way through a large batch of the things. And Kayla and Haschel fought furiously to cover the others from behind and above. The old master blowing one to pieces with a lightning ball, as Kayla gutted one cleanly from tail to snout. It was then that Dart caught sight of Lloyd. He was charging straight toward the Elemental Dragon, Dragon Buster, and Divine Blade in hand.

Lloyd was seething, the rage and indignation rising up inside him and choking him. He felt as if he wanted to burst out of his skin and destroy the whole goddamn army with a look. He satisfied himself with attacking the behemoth on the ground, however. As he dropped toward the monster, it unleashed a storm of Void energy, mixed with electricity toward him. With a swing of his blade he deflected the worst of it, the rest being stopped by his armor. Reaching the creature's level, he slashed and hacked wildly at its immense legs. Bellowing in pain, it tried to crush him under his weight, but he merely drove the Dragon Buster up to the hilt into its soft belly. The monster howled and pressed down on him, trying even harder to crush him, he merely rammed the Divine Blade in next to the Dragon Buster.

The Dragon screamed and pulled itself off the spikes, swinging at him with its tail, grimly, he stopped the killer blow with his blades, hacking at the tail, before finally rising into the air again and driving both weapons up to their hilts into its main eye. As with their first encounter, the Dragon powered up a blast behind the eye, even as if lifted off the ground. With the force of a hurricane, it released the attack, the powerful beam completely enveloping the Wingly hanging on white-knuckled to the blades in its eye. When the attack was over, Lloyd pulled back, stunned, and hacked off both its tusks for good measure, before the creature finally flew away.

The others arrived in moments, just in time to see the Dragon fleeing toward Deningrad. They all stared at Lloyd who slowly dropped to the ground, resting heavily on his sword as the Dragon Buster disappeared along with the Dragoon armor. He was panting heavily, sweat and blood mixed together on his clothes, the broken stumps of the needles still visible through the torn cloth. Kayla took a step toward him, only to be stopped by his menacing glare.

"Get away from me." She stood stock still, shock and hurt playing over her face as the others dropped to the earth around them, reverting back to their human forms. "You said it yourself. You're sorry you ever loved me. Fine. I'm going; you won't need to worry about it anymore."

The Dragon Knights stood silently around the two, eyes on the ground, shame written clearly on their faces.

"Lloyd…we…" Dart began.

"Save it." The Wingly shot back vehemently. "I don't want to hear it." He glanced angrily around the circle of warriors, hating each one for their betrayal of him, abuse of his trust.

"Lloyd, please." Shana started, only to be cut off by his cold stare.

"I'm leaving. You can all damn well fight Zackwell alone. I don't give a shit anymore."

Slowly, painfully, he stumbled off down the canyon, alone once more, as Kayla stared after him, the tears coming once more, easing the torment she was in inside.

To be continued…

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I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Sorry I took so long to update. I've been swamped. I've been taking the time to try and improve my writing skills, too. So please Read and Review. All Constructive Criticism is welcomed. Thanks.


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